Devils Claw Wild Flower

Each summer I get a couple of these Devils Claw Wild Flowers. They are more common in other areas of the Southwest states than here, so I try to keep some of the seeds to replant. This is the leaves and blossom on one.

Pinto Horse

It is a dead horse... (more on stainless crampons)

but do you really want to be riding it?



OK, this got my attention. In less than 10 days counting back from todayI got reports of 3 pairs of bent, broken or crackedBlack Diamond Stainlesscrampons.



Call me cynical but it was exactly this time last year that the same thing happened...actually within days of each other one year apart. Over a dozen cracked or broken pairs of Black Diamond stainless crampons poppedup over the last year. But 3 in a row, in mid Feb ! Again?!



edit for an update: Same scenario again in Feb. of . More reported BD stainless failures.

It is mid season for ice climbing world wide. Check your crampons. If you are on stainless, check them twice!






This one bent while climbing ice. It isn't trick photography. The front point simply straightened out under body weight,




"The one front point flattened out when he was 5' off the deck. He fellto snow."






cracked using a rigid soled boot









Crack here is circled in red.



And these are crampons I really liked initially, BD's Sabertooth and Serac. Crampons I climbed and soloed in. And the most recent faulty crampons are all the reinforced 2nd gen. versions.



I could care less about Black Diamond. They made it clearlast winter that they have littleconcernabout yoursafety while using thisproduct. The sales samples and prototypes excuses are really long in tooth a full year later. These cracks and failures are all in the same place. Make damn sure you inspect yours closely prior to EVERY use. Thefront point collapsing under body weight is a new one for me.



Check your gear, be attentive and pay ATTENTION if you are still climbingin any of the BD stainless horizontal front pointcrampons. When thesedo come apart, make no mistake, it is a catastrophic failure. Falling off an ice climb because of gear failure can very easily get you dead.



So one more time...



Since Black Diamond won't tell you this, I will.



You all be careful out there on Black Diamond stainless 'pons!Friends don't let their friends climb on stainless horizontals.



More here if you want the enterainment:

http://rafalandronowski.wordpress.com//02/15/broke-my-crampons/



http://www.gravsports-ice.com/icethreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=8972&page=all



http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//02/soft-shoe-shuffle.html



http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1004766/Broke_my_crampons



http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//08/crampon-durability-stainless-or.html

More from Washington DC

Ingalls Lake and Ingalls Peak

A big group ready to hit the trail to Ingalls Lake and the South Summit of Ingalls Peak.

Ingalls Lake on a beautiful fall day.

Dave, Pete and Jim on the South Summit. Mt. Stuart in the background.

Turned Wood

Many many years ago Lee got a wood turning lathe and made lots of nice things for me like the candle stick in the first photo. This year for Christmas he wanted to get a new lathe so I said yes, and for him to pick one out so he would get want he wanted. He has been using it alot. He made me 2 candlesticks, and 2 wooden bowls. He made candlesticks for his family for Christmas and for our friends, and made the bowl in the second photo for our friends birthday. I am hoping he can made a some things for next Christmas and for other birthday presents. He has made a bell, and some other Christmas tree decorations but I couldn't get the photos to come out decent.

El Pueblo de Cancun: Mercado 23 y 28

Two markets I’ve wanted to visit in El Pueblo de Cancun also known as El Centro Cancun and Downtown Cancun are Markets 23 and 28.

Mercado 23

Market 23 is mainly a food market and is a bit rundown yet authentically Mexican. It has its own scruffy charm and very local too which is a major plus as I am always on the lookout for local places. Located across the main bus terminal of Cancun and just a stone’s throw away from my hotel—I’m glad I booked into this hotel as I am quite central to everything, I just couldn’t miss it. It was a pity Market 23 is small and there were not many vendors when I was there.


The chicken stalls look so pretty with the bright paint colours. Next foto is another shop selling wicker baskets.


Two boys selling food along the pedestrian walk. Hammocks for sale in the middle foto. Foto on the right are herbs and some variations.


A little restaurant inside the mercado and foto on the right are corn tortillas said the vendor that I chatted with rather briefly.


Large chicharron (pork cracklings) for sale and dried prawns.

Mercado 28

Market 28 on the other hand is bigger, cleaner and very touristy, it’s more of a bazaar really. I didn’t even bother asking for the price of the items on sale there as I am pretty sure they are tourist-overpriced-prices.

I think I have totally lost my edge for shopping. I like to look around especially when I am traveling in another country, take pictures, sometimes I get curious and jump into a discussion with the vendor but I rarely buy. Sounds very Dutch right? Kijken, kijken en niet kopen, lol. But I guess the difference here is I don’t really have the intention to shop unless I see something that I really like.


Mercado 28 could be a tourist trap but its much better than shopping last minute in the airport.


The mercado is like a mall actually and here on the left foto you can see some locals selling their wares. Middle foto are cute mexican puppet dolls and foto on the right are porcelain crosses. Majority of Mexicans are Catholics.


Here is a closer foto of the local women selling their wares. Next foto are the famous colourful Mexican ponchos.


I just like the set up, the bright colours of the subjects on foto on the left. You can see two musicians serenading a group having lunch in a restaurant. Foto on the right, menu for the day, well everyday.

These days I find myself not really having the urge to go out and shop. Shopping can easily become a chore. It’s a good feeling though to know that I don’t go shopping because I can’t but because I just don’t want to.
.

My Concessions to the Bicycle

In the past, I've expressed my view that an effective transportation bicycle is one that "allows us to be ourselves" - meaning that we should not have to change the way we dress or lead our lives in order to ride it. Recently a reader called me on this, asking the following (edited) question over email:

You write that you do not believe in compromising personal style when it comes to cycling for transportation and I am wondering just how far you take this idea. Have you really never made any compromises in your wardrobe in order to commute by bike?

That is a good point, and I did not mean to imply that I never compromise on my clothing choices in order to cycle for transportation.



For one thing, I have stopped wearing high heels since I began cycling. While I know that many women find it perfectly natural to cycle in heels and I admire this ability, I myself cannot do it in a way that makes me feel safe and comfortable. I was willing to give up heels, because my relationship with them was already waning - the bike was simply the last straw. Throughout my late teens and all of my twenties, I pretty much wore 3-3.5" heels all the time. In fact, my body got so trained to the resulting posture, that my lower back would hurt when I would attempt to wear flat shoes! The wisdom of having done that for so many years is a separate topic, but either way - I somehow grew out of it, or maybe just became more messy/natural over time, and gradually lost the addiction to towering footwear. My point being, that by the time I gave them up altogether in order to feel safe on my bicycle, it no longer felt like a sacrifice. 10 or even 5 years ago it would have been a problem, but not now.



Another wardrobeadjustment since I began cycling, has been my choice of skirts. I wear almost exclusively skirts and dresses, and they vary in design. I have always favoured "a-line"styles, which flare out at the bottom, over "pencil" styles, which fit tightly around the knees. I do own a couple of pencil skirts and skirt-suits that I am fond of, but I cannot wear them on a bicycle at all, as they constrain both my pedaling and my ability to mount the bike. Hiking the skirt up does help, but it wrinkles the fabric, shows my underpants to the world, and is just generally too much hassle for me. So I have mostly stopped wearing pencil skirts, favouring a-line, pleated, flared, fluted and full styles instead. I also cannot wear super-mini skirts on a bike, because somehow the hem tends to catch on the back of the saddle when I dismount. Again, not really a huge sacrifice, as I've mostly stopped wearing mini skirts anyway.



And finally, on the hottest days of summer, I seldom wear solid pastel colours since I started cycling - especially blouses - because they show sweat stains. Instead, I opt for florals, paisleys, stripes, or some other pattern that disguises sweating. It's a useful trick for cycling in extreme heat and humidity while still wearing work clothing.



While I do make some compromises in the way I dress in order to ride a bicycle comfortably, I feel that they are relativelyminor and don't sacrifice my sense of individuality. It's one thing for someone like me to stick to a-line skirts and to stop wearing high heels when I was already in the process of abandoning them. But it would be another thing to suddenly start wearing pants, sneakers and neon windbreakers in order to commute on a diamond frame roadbike. It's basically a difference between making compromises "within your stylistic comfort zone" vs. changing your style entirely. So the next question is: What if wearing high heels is super-important to someone and they view it as a crucial part of their identity, yet they cannot cycle in heels? Well, if they are absolutely unwilling to give up the heels, they have two options really: to make an extra effort to get comfortable cycling in them, or to choose other transportation options. Riding a bike is not for everyone and it can't be forced if other priorities overshadow the desire to cycle.



But on a separate note, it is worth considering that style evolves. Our choice of clothing is a function of how we live our lives, and the way we dress can change over time - influenced by a myriad of factors. Who is to say that cycling cannot be one of them? I am curious to see how something like that would play out in the wardrobe of, say, a corporate lawyer or a diplomat. Could be interesting!

Saturday 12/11 conditions check

Here's a few photos from our drive to check conditions. 38° and sunny. Tommorrow calls for rain. Then the temps are to drop into the teens and single digits again. Season is underway.

Overview of local conditions

Early season taunting of the SICK-le



Purple Leaves

Here you can see a close up of the blossoms of the purple leaf plum tree and the tiny little purple leaves just starting to grow.

Custom Rear Racks for Roadsters

As some have astutely observed in the previous post, my Raleigh DL-1 now has a rear rack! It is notoriously difficult to find racks that will properly fit these bicycles (without slanting), and the racks that originally came with DL-1s are almost impossible to get ahold of. This here is a prototype for a custom rack by Red Barn Classic Bicycle Accessories, designed and built by metalsmith Jon Gehman with some input from me, specifically to fit the vintage Raleigh DL-1.



The Roadster Rack was built based on the dimensions of the original racks that were typically used with the DL-1, but features some delightful add-ons.

The platform of the rack is fortified with a graceful arch - something the original lacks. There is also a handy light mount at the end for attaching a tail light.



Here is a detail shot. The Roadster Rack is made of 3/8" seamless aircraft chrom-moly tubing; brazed and silver soldered. It is enamel painted, and the matte finish is a good match for the aged paint on my bicycle.



The rack also features these nice loops for attaching bungee cords. Needless to say, these are extremely useful.



Though the functionality of the rack is impeccable, I have to say that - at least for me - the practical aspects are overshadowed by the looks. I am not sure how well my pictures portray this, but the lines of the rack are mesmerisingly graceful. The arch, the light mount, the bungee loops, and even the gentle curves of the platform itself - everything is perfectly proportioned and pleasing to the eye. It makes me feel like a criminal for having now attached a set of Wald folding baskets to my rack - but hey, I needed to carry my laptop bag!



If you are interested in commissioning one of these gorgeous racks from Jon Gehman, the price is $125. And keep an eye on his website for upcoming products, which will include French chainguards and other secret things. I am collaborating with Jon on some of the designs, so you will notice that his pictures are of the prototypes I have on my bikes. However, I am not involved in the sales of the products (nor do I receive any revenue from the sales) - so please contact Jon directly if you'd like to place an order or have questions about his other products. We would also be glad to know what you think of the design, so please feel free to post your honest feedback here.